Canada Drops Weapons Export Controls to Türkiye, Including Drone Technology

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press)
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Canada Drops Weapons Export Controls to Türkiye, Including Drone Technology

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press)

Canada on Monday said it had dropped weapons export controls to Türkiye, including drone optical technology, according to a notice posted online, saying that from now on it would review all exports on a case-by-case basis.
Canada suspended drone technology sales to Türkiye, a fellow member of NATO, in 2020 after concluding its optical equipment attached to Turkish-made drones had been used by Azerbaijan while fighting ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno Karabakh, an enclave Baku has since retaken.
Canada had linked resolving the export freeze with Türkiye’s welcoming of Sweden into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which it did last week.
Ottawa's announcement on Monday confirms a Reuters exclusive published last week.
Under the agreement to restart exports, Türkiye will clearly indicate whether the items will be re-exported or transferred to a non-NATO country, with the exception of Ukraine, and in what form the item will be re-exported, the statement said.
Canada will examine each export on case-by-case basis and said it can cancel permits at any time if there is misuse, the statement said.
The notification process, which is standard under the international arms trade, covers Wescam sensors used in Türkiye’s Bayraktar TB2 drones and other dual-use goods and arms-related exports.
"The Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) condemns the recent decision by the Government of Canada to lift its longstanding arms embargo on Türkiye," the group said in a statement online.
"This decision has raised alarming concerns within the Armenian-Canadian community, as it compromises Canada's commitment to human rights, international security, and justice."



China's Xi Ready to Work with EU to Expand Ties, Handle Friction

File photo: 14 February 2023, China, Beijing: President of China Xi Jinping meets with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (not pictured). (Iranian Presidency/dpa)
File photo: 14 February 2023, China, Beijing: President of China Xi Jinping meets with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (not pictured). (Iranian Presidency/dpa)
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China's Xi Ready to Work with EU to Expand Ties, Handle Friction

File photo: 14 February 2023, China, Beijing: President of China Xi Jinping meets with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (not pictured). (Iranian Presidency/dpa)
File photo: 14 February 2023, China, Beijing: President of China Xi Jinping meets with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (not pictured). (Iranian Presidency/dpa)

President Xi Jinping said China was ready to work with European Union leaders to expand mutual openness and properly handle frictions and differences, the official news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday.

The remarks come on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the European Union as they work to thaw ties amid global trade uncertainty fueled by sweeping US tariffs, Reuters said.

Xi did not mention the United States in his remarks, but Beijing has been keen to forge closer economic and political links with Europe to limit the damage from President Donald Trump's tariffs on most of its exports to the United States.

"Healthy, stable China-EU ties not only promote mutual achievements, but also illuminate the world," he said.

Xi also called on the EU to jointly safeguard fairness and justice, and oppose unilateral bullying, describing their relations as one of the world's most influential, Xinhua added.

China said it would welcome visits by European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at an appropriate time to jointly hold a new round of meeting of leaders of both sides.

China and the EU will hold high-level dialogues on strategy, economy and trade, green development and digitalisation among a series of events this year, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a press conference on Tuesday.

The ministry also confirmed that China and the European Parliament had decided to free up mutual exchanges.

Last week, the EU said China would lift sanctions on members of the European Parliament and its subcommittee on human rights. The sanctions were imposed in 2021 over Western measures against Chinese officials accused of the mass detention of Muslim Uyghurs in the far western region of Xinjiang.

"Under the current circumstances, both sides believe it is very important for China and Europe to strengthen dialogue and cooperation," Lin, the ministry spokesperson, told reporters.

He expressed confidence that renewed talks would "inject new impetus" in the development of China-EU relations.